8 Digital Marketing Trends that can Enhance Your Business in 2018

In the world of digital marketing, it is vital to stay informed of new marketing trends that can benefit your business.

For example, Twitter is currently losing relevance, while Instagram continues to rise in importance as a marketing tool for business owners. Trust in brands is at an all-time low, so the importance of personalised content that shows the human side of your business has increased.

From ephemeral content to VR technology, here are 8 digital marketing trends that can help you enhance your business in 2018:

Video Marketing

In a recent survey, it was revealed that 81% of businesses use video as a marketing tool, up from 63% of businesses in 2017. The reason for this trend can be attributed to social media; over the past several years, the statistics of videos

being watched across YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram has skyrocketed, with 100 million hoursof views recorded in 2016 on Facebook, and 82% of Twitter users recorded to be watching video content on the platform in 2017. As the popularity of video continues to rise, integrating video into your marketing strategy could be a strategic move to generate engagement with your business.

Social Media Influencers

In 2018, social media influencers are the new secret weapon in successful companies’ marketing campaigns. Influencers have established credibility in their particular niche, and are trusted by, and have influence over, their audience. No longer just used to grow your own audience, influencers can also be used to increase engagement and conversions of your product or service. Because competition for key influencers will be fierce as their value is recognised by more and more businesses, forging a long-term, exclusive relationship with an influencer is the best way to ensure that your business will benefit in the long run.

Ephemeral Content

Ephemeral content refers to social content that has a 24 hour expiry date, exemplified in the trend of short-lived Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat ‘Stories’. At the end of 2017, it was reported that Instagram Stories has 300 million daily active users. To capitalise on the popularity of ephemeral content, more companies have begun taking advantage, creating particular content and offers geared towards the fleeting lifespan of stories. What using ephemeral content does is create an urgency and exclusivity to the product or service that you are advertising: once your offer is gone, it is gone forever, creating an effective call to action for potential customers.

Chatbots

2018 is looking like the year of the chatbot, which are programs that simulate conversations with a person. Examples of chatbots include Siri, Cortana, and Google Now, and are increasingly being used by companies on platforms such as Facebook Messenger to communicate with their clients. The advantages of chatbots is that, unlike a human user, they can communicate with multiple clients at once, and gather information about them throughout the conversation which can be geared towards tailoring personalised recommendations and a higher conversion rate. Chatbots can also offer better customer service, being available 24/7 to answer queries and providing a seamless user experience. With Facebookreporting statisticssuch as that 53% of people are more likely to interact with a business that they can message, and that 80% of adults and 91% of teenagers use messaging apps every day, the time to get involved with chatbot technology to enhance your business is now.

Mobile Optimisation

Another digital marketing trend to take note of in 2018 is the growing importance of mobile optimisation. With the prevalence of smartphones and their effectiveness for internet browsing, ensuring that your business website is optimised for mobile, as well as for tablets and desktops, is crucial. With people on average spending five hours a day on their smartphones, and with a 54% increase in consumers spending using mobile shopping apps in 2017, it is impossible to ignore the role of mobile devices in increasingly driving engagement and conversions for businesses. However, the majority of conversions are still generated by desktops, so ensure that you aren’t neglecting the desktop consumer experience of your website.

VR/AR Technology

Virtual reality technology is rapidly advancing, with devices such as the Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR receiving worldwide attention. Virtual Reality devices use computerised headsets to create an entirely simulated reality for users complete with audio and visual stimuli, while Augmented Reality superimposes digital elements and objects onto natural environments. As it is predicted that the total number of active virtual reality users will reach 171 million by 2018, the potential benefit of VR and AR as storytelling and marketing tools is being recognised by various companies. This potential is also not limited to just the gaming, entertainment and real estate industries, but could also be used forvarious purposesin areas such as education, health, tourism, hospitality, sports and retail.

Personalised Content

Trust between brands and consumers was recorded to be at an all-time low in 2017, meaning that the importance of personalised content and authentic language in marketing campaigns is rising to new heights in 2018. Part of winning back consumer trust is avoiding corporate buzzwords and cliches, and developing a more intimate and conversational tone when advertising your products or services. Personalising content results in a more unique and streamlined experience for consumers, resulting in people being more likely to return in the future to your business or recommend it to others. In 2017, statistics indicated that 75% of businesses have increased their investment in content marketing, and furthermore it has been found that personalised content performs 42% better than non-personalised content. Taking this into account, developing a marketing strategy that delivers personalised content to your audience should be at the top of your to-do list going into 2018.

Voice Search

Finally, a digital marketing trend that can enhance your business this year is voice search. Voice recognition technology continues to improve, and its user-friendly applications such as personal voice assistants like Siri and Alexa, and voice enabled smart devices like Google Home and Amazon Echo, have made it increasingly popular. In 2017, 41% of adults were recorded to be conducting at least one voice search a day, and by 2020, it is expected that voice searches will account for 50% of all online queries. Therefore, optimising your business to adapt to voice search queries and provide fast answers for consumers will ensure that you can be discovered and effectively engaged with by new customers into the future.

At TWMG, our team can help you develop an effective digital marketing strategy and website design for 2018.

To put your business at the forefront of digital innovation, give us a call on